When asked at a student forum last week about the Hong Kong protests against a proposed extradition bill, Taipei Mayor Ko Wen-je (柯文哲) first talked about the importance of democracy, freedom, diversity, the rule of law and human rights. Then he went on to complain that young people only want to see him prevaricate on the issue, causing his approval ratings to fall by 3 to 5 percent.
As he rambled on, he touched on the Twin Towers project and got all worked up, saying that national vision and sovereignty were “a load of crap.”
This shows how concerned Ko is about the presidential election and his polling numbers. That is understandable, as it is an intrinsic part of the struggle for power.
However, when hundreds of thousands or even millions of Hong Kongers take to the streets in protest, surely that is a great and anguished cry against the Chinese government’s abolition of democracy, freedom, the rule of law and human rights.
At this moment, the only thing worrying Ko, who is about to go to Shanghai for the twin-city forum, is how to avoid angering China while using the conflict in the pan-blue and pan-green camps to improve his voter support. His choice, or perhaps opportunism, will of course affect his standing in the polls.
Since he is blaming the democratic, pro-human rights demonstrations in Hong Kong for blocking his path to the presidency, this begs the question of whether Ko thinks democracy, freedom and human rights are mere reference points and tools for tricking more people into voting for him.
It is not surprising that the Investment Commission’s rejection of Nan Hai Corp’s planned investment in Taipei’s Twin Towers project angered Ko, who had hoped to use the project to extricate himself from the Taipei Dome quagmire. Still, everyone was dumbfounded by his off-the-cuff remark that “some people talk about national vision and sovereignty awareness, but the way I see it, that’s just a load of crap.”
Perhaps this is how some politicians see it, but to most people here in Taiwan, surely saying something like that is the same thing as treating them as fools or slaves.
The US magazine Foreign Policy on Wednesday last week ran a story about how Kaohsiung Mayor Han Kuo-yu (韓國瑜) was elected with help of Chinese cyberoperatives.
Now that Han is aiming for the presidency, will Ko continue to say that national sovereignty awareness is a load of crap?
It is all but certain that the Chinese factor — be it the Chinese Internet army or pro-China media in Taiwan — will come into play in next year’s presidential election, and it will be difficult to gauge the potential impact.
Even Hon Hai Precision Industry Co founder Terry Gou (郭台銘) — one of the Chinese Nationalist Party’s (KMT) presidential contenders — could not help resorting to rough language during a visit to Fo Guang Shan Monastery in Kaohsiung, saying that a certain media outlet was “the running dog of China’s Taiwan Affairs Office.”
Is it really a load of alarmist crap to say that China would interfere with Taiwan’s presidential election?
Ko using the Hong Kong protests to explain why he is slipping in opinion polls is a sly and treacherous piece of deceit.
If Ko’s only concern is his polling numbers and he does not understand that sovereignty rests with the people, it will not be long before he loses power.
Chang Hsun-ching is a former librarian.
Translated by Perry Svensson
Recently, China launched another diplomatic offensive against Taiwan, improperly linking its “one China principle” with UN General Assembly Resolution 2758 to constrain Taiwan’s diplomatic space. After Taiwan’s presidential election on Jan. 13, China persuaded Nauru to sever diplomatic ties with Taiwan. Nauru cited Resolution 2758 in its declaration of the diplomatic break. Subsequently, during the WHO Executive Board meeting that month, Beijing rallied countries including Venezuela, Zimbabwe, Belarus, Egypt, Nicaragua, Sri Lanka, Laos, Russia, Syria and Pakistan to reiterate the “one China principle” in their statements, and assert that “Resolution 2758 has settled the status of Taiwan” to hinder Taiwan’s
Singaporean Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong’s (李顯龍) decision to step down after 19 years and hand power to his deputy, Lawrence Wong (黃循財), on May 15 was expected — though, perhaps, not so soon. Most political analysts had been eyeing an end-of-year handover, to ensure more time for Wong to study and shadow the role, ahead of general elections that must be called by November next year. Wong — who is currently both deputy prime minister and minister of finance — would need a combination of fresh ideas, wisdom and experience as he writes the nation’s next chapter. The world that
The past few months have seen tremendous strides in India’s journey to develop a vibrant semiconductor and electronics ecosystem. The nation’s established prowess in information technology (IT) has earned it much-needed revenue and prestige across the globe. Now, through the convergence of engineering talent, supportive government policies, an expanding market and technologically adaptive entrepreneurship, India is striving to become part of global electronics and semiconductor supply chains. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Vision of “Make in India” and “Design in India” has been the guiding force behind the government’s incentive schemes that span skilling, design, fabrication, assembly, testing and packaging, and
Can US dialogue and cooperation with the communist dictatorship in Beijing help avert a Taiwan Strait crisis? Or is US President Joe Biden playing into Chinese President Xi Jinping’s (習近平) hands? With America preoccupied with the wars in Europe and the Middle East, Biden is seeking better relations with Xi’s regime. The goal is to responsibly manage US-China competition and prevent unintended conflict, thereby hoping to create greater space for the two countries to work together in areas where their interests align. The existing wars have already stretched US military resources thin, and the last thing Biden wants is yet another war.